The Downtown School

The Downtown School Advisory Board provides oversight and supports the school’s leadership in making essential decisions by which the school is governed and guided. Advisory Board members come from many different walks of life — corporations, charitable organizations, education, law, medicine, finance, government, and community service — and volunteer their expertise, energy, and time to the school. The Downtown School was founded by Lakeside School, and Lakeside's Board of Trustees carries fiduciary responsibility for both schools. 20160802_LakesideBerniePortrait_003.jpg Bernie Noe Advisory Board Chair Bernie Noe is a national leader in independent schools and education. As Lakeside School’s head of school since 1999, Bernie has overseen a full review of the academic curriculum, launched new programs including Lakeside’s summer school and the Global Online Academy, and overseen significant growth of Lakeside’s efforts in diversity and inclusion, global education, the arts, and athletics. He was a key leader in the Living Our Mission campaign, which raised $105 million for Lakeside School. In addition to his role as the head of school at Lakeside, Bernie is chair of the board of trustees for the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and on the board of directors for the Global Online Academy, a program that he was instrumental in founding. Bernie holds a bachelor’s degree cum laude from Boston University, a master’s in international relations from Georgetown University, and an M.Phil. in European history from George Washington University. He and his family are cofounders and directors of the Nicaragua Education Fund, which supports several local schools and a women’s cooperative, Casa de Mujeres, in the mountain village of Villa Nueva. GlennBlock.jpg Glenn Block Glenn Block is Senior Director of Product Management at DocuSign, where he leads several efforts for DocuSign's platform. Prior to DocuSign, Glenn worked at a number of reptutable SaaS companies, including 8 years at Microsoft, where he led several key efforts which gained traction in cloud computing and credibility with the open source community. Glenn is a published author and professional speaker who is recognized internationally. Since 2016, he has served as a board member for Wasat, a community-based faith organization; he was previously board president for a small private school serving the local immigrant community; and he has been a member of the South Seattle College CTE advisory board since 2017. Glenn is also active in supporting diversity and inclusion as an advisor for CodeFellows, a career transition service, and Jewelbots, a startup focused on attracting girls to STEM. He also focuses a lot of energy mentoring and advocating for people moving into tech and product roles, in particular women of color. He is currently enrolled in Seattle University's Leadership Exec MBA program. 20140516_LakesideTy_035-Edit.jpg Ty Cramer Ty Cramer serves on the University of Washington Foundation Board as the representative of Undergraduate Academic Affairs and is a member of the University of Washington Department of Global Health Leadership Council. An active community volunteer, Ty served four terms on Lakeside School’s Board of Trustees (from 2007-2018), including as chair of the board. Under her leadership, the Lakeside School Board of Trustees approved development of the micro-school concept and Ty chaired the micro-school subcommittee in its first year. Ty is the cofounder of Heyday Farm on Bainbridge Island, an agro-ecological enterprise that models sustainable financial and environmental farming practices, and is board member emeritus of the IslandWood Environmental Learning Center. She holds a master’s in international relations from the Maxwell School of Public Administration at Syracuse University and a graduate certificate in global health from the University of Washington. She focused her professional experience on women's health, working as a doula and certified childbirth educator. Crystal+Ondo.jpg Crystal Ondo Crystal Ondo is the vice president of corporate affairs at Donuts Inc., a top-level domain name registry, where she currently manages regulatory issues and drives business changes for Donuts, its subsidiaries, and its partners. Previously, Crystal was assistant general counsel, supporting all aspects of the company’s legal functions. Before joining Donuts Inc., Crystal was an associate in the business group at Perkins Coie LLP. A member of the Lakeside/St. Nicholas Alumni Board since 2012, she served as alumni board president from June 2015 to June 2017, during which she served a concurrent term on the Lakeside School Board of Trustees. As a trustee, Crystal served on three committees: schools; development and communications; and the micro-school subcommittee, which supported the creation of The Downtown School. Crystal received her bachelor's degree from Princeton University and a law degree from Boston College Law School. DSC_1100+%281%29.jpg Dr. Lelach Rave Lelach Rave is a pediatrician and a parent of a founding member of the 9th-grade class of The Downtown School. She is a primary care pediatrician with The Everett Clinic, and previously practiced hospital-based medicine. Lelach has served on the board of the Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and currently co-chairs their legislative committee, working on issues of child health in Olympia. Lelach also advocates for child welfare by serving on the provider advisory committee of the Apple Health Foster Care program. Other board involvements include serving on the Board of Directors of WithinReach and the parent advisory board of Camp Kesem at University of Washington. Lelach received her bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and her medical degree from Washington University in St. Louis. Ed_Taylor.jpg Ed Taylor Ed Taylor is vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs at the University of Washington where he oversees educational opportunities that deepen and enrich the undergraduate experience. He is a professor in the UW’s College of Education, and his research, writing, and teaching center on moral dimensions of education and integrative education, and leadership in education and social justice. He is also a faculty member of the Academy for Contemplative and Ethical Leadership, which is part of the Mind and Life Institute. Ed earned his Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Washington, and he holds a master’s degree in psychology and bachelor’s degrees in sociology and in psychology from Gonzaga University. Active in the community, Ed served three terms on Lakeside School’s Board of Trustees, from June 2009 through June 2018, is a founding board member of Rainier Scholars, and on the board of the Seattle Foundation. He also serves on the boards of Gonzaga University, College Spark Washington, and Rwanda Girls Initiative. BrandonV_Headshot.JPG Brandon Vaughan Brandon Vaughan is head of public relations for OfferUp, where he specializes in brand management and storytelling. Prior to OfferUp, he spent several years at T-Mobile as a corporate communications strategist and six years at Edelman, where he led digital marketing campaigns for Xbox. As a graduate of Lakeside School, he served on the Lakeside School/St. Nicholas Alumni Board for several years and helped lead alumni events and communications efforts. He now serves as a member of the Lakeside School Board of Trustees and chairs the Board’s Development and Communications Committee. In his free time, he swims competitively for the Washington Athletic Club, mentors public relations students, and provides storytelling counsel to community organizations such as the Seattle Art Museum. Brandon received his bachelor’s degree in public relations and advertising from the Dodge School of Film at Chapman University. The Downtown School: Small by Design is a division of Lakeside School, an independent, coeducational high school in Seattle. Contact us: 206-717-2849 Admissions inquiries: admissions@downtownschoolseattle.org